Knee Board decisions

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection due to insufficient evidence regarding the onset and relationship of his disabilities to military service. The VA will provide addendum opinions on these issues.

The Board has dismissed the Veteran's appeals for service connection on all listed conditions due to his withdrawal of the appeal prior to a decision being made.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection for right and left knee disabilities due to a lack of medical evidence linking her current knee conditions to her military service.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for increased ratings for his right and left knee disabilities due to insufficient examination findings regarding flare-ups.

The Veteran's right knee disability has resulted in traumatic arthritis with painful limitation of flexion, and an initial rating of 20 percent is granted. The left knee strain with degenerative changes does not meet the criteria for a higher rating.

The Veteran's appeals for service connection on multiple issues have been dismissed due to the Veteran requesting a withdrawal of all appeal matters.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities do not render him unable to secure or maintain substantial gainful employment, as evidenced by his continued full-time employment.

The Veteran's spine disability is denied as not service-connected. The effective dates for right knee arthritis and left knee total arthroplasty are denied as there is no legal basis to grant an earlier date. The rating for right knee arthritis prior to June 28, 2016 is denied. A 60% rating from August 1, 2017 to January 30, 2018 and since July 20, 2020 is granted for right knee total arthroplasty. Separate ratings of 10% are granted for right knee instability from March 17, 2016 to June 28, 2016 and left knee instability from March 17, 2016 to December 4, 2019. The Veteran's scars do not meet the criteria for a compensable rating. TDIU is denied.

The Veteran withdrew his appeal regarding the disability rating for right knee osteoarthritis, resulting in its dismissal.

The Veteran's claims for payment or reimbursement of medical expenses incurred at Memorial Health System on February 11, 2014 and March 11-12, 2014 were denied because the claims were not filed within the required 90-day period from when a third party refused to pay.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities have rendered him unable to secure and maintain substantially gainful employment due to physical limitations.

The Veteran's right and left knee patellofemoral syndrome have not met the criteria for a higher than 10 percent rating under Diagnostic Codes 5260 or 5261 due to normal range of motion.,The Veteran's initial 10 percent rating for left knee instability is denied as his symptoms do not meet the criteria for a higher than 10 percent rating under revised Diagnostic Code 5257.

The Board has decided to remand the case due to insufficient evidence regarding whether the Veteran's current left knee disability is related to service. The Veteran needs a medical opinion on this issue.

The Board has decided to remand the case due to insufficient evidence regarding whether the Veteran's bilateral knee disability had its onset in service and if his left knee disability is caused by or aggravated by his right knee disability. The decision will be reconsidered after additional medical opinions are obtained.

The Board has granted service connection for a low back disability, but denied service connection for left and right knee disorders.

The Veteran's claim for increased ratings for his right knee and instability was denied. The Board found that the evidence did not show limitation of motion warranting a higher rating.,A new and material evidence claim for service connection for a left knee disorder was granted, allowing the Veteran to reopen this previously denied claim.

The Veteran's right knee disability, including degenerative arthritis and instability, is rated at 10 percent throughout the appeal period.

The Board has remanded the claims for increased ratings for right and left knee disabilities due to inadequate examination findings. The Veteran is required to undergo a new VA examination to assess the current severity of her bilateral knee disabilities, including functional limitations during flare-ups and after repetitive use.

The Board has determined that additional development is needed for the claims of entitlement to a disability in excess for residuals of right knee ACL tear and entitlement to a compensable disability rating for mild hiatal hernia and pyrosis disorder. The Veteran's testimony indicates worsening of his service-connected disabilities, which triggers the need for VA examinations to assess the current severity of these conditions.

The Veteran's claims for increased ratings for various joint disabilities, including degenerative disc disease of the lumbar spine and degenerative arthritis of multiple joints (including ankles, knees, and feet), were denied as his conditions did not meet the criteria for higher disability ratings under the applicable rating criteria.